The CIO Dilemma: The C-Suite Doesn't Get IT

In the grand world of enterprise computing, the decisions companies make don’t always fall in line with what the CIO wants. In far too many cases, top-level executives, thinking they know what they need to get the job done, decide on which technology they'd like to have, rather than taking the advice of the IT manager. It’s an odd move on the part of chief executives, and it’s something that far too many CIOs are left to manage. What’s worse, that conflict doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. In a new study from CA Technologies, a company that delivers IT management software and solutions, it’s clear that today’s top-level managers just don’t understand the technology world. In fact, the study found that executives have a general lack of "digital literacy," causing them to unintentionally hinder their companies from enhancing competitiveness and growth. It’s a major issue that CIOs need to understand and acknowledge – as far too many other top-level executives do not. Here we take a deeper look at the impact top-level managers are having, and why their general lack of understanding is causing real troubles for the corporate world.

5 of 8

All of that data comes down to one simple fact: 84 percent of CIOs believe that their top-level executives fail to understand the impact technology has on a company, and corporate growth suffers.

Don Reisinger is a freelance technology columnist. He started writing about technology for Ziff-Davis' Gearlog.com. Since then, he has written extremely popular columns for CNET.com, Computerworld, InformationWeek, and others. He has appeared numerous times on national television to share his expertise with viewers. You can follow his every move at http://twitter.com/donreisinger.